This paper explores the role of mentoring and networking in the career development of global female managers. The paper is based on data collected from interviews with 50 senior female managers. The voices of the female managers illustrate some of the difficulties associated with informal organisational processes, in particular mentoring and networking, which hinder their career development. The findings confirm that female managers can miss out on global appointments because they lack mentors, role models, sponsorship, or access to appropriate networks -all of which are commonly available to their male counterparts. The interviewees suggest that men, as the dominant group, may want to maintain their dominance by excluding women from the informal interactions of mentoring and networking. The findings further suggest that if females had more access to networks and mentors they could be socialised in both the formal and informal norms of the organisation and gain career advantages from these. The managers reveal that they encounter additional barriers in 'a man's world' and remind us that there is still much to be changed.

PurposeThis paper sets out to examine the experiences of female managers in order to enhance our understanding of why there is a relative scarcity of senior female managers in one of the newest sectors of the Irish economy, the high‐tech sector. Because this sector has effectively only emerged in Ireland in the last 15 years, it had been expected to provide a unique genderless environment in which female managers would emerge in equal numbers to their male counterparts.Design/methodology/approachThis paper takes a qualitative approach. A series of interviews were carried out with 20 female junior and middle managers in this industry segment.FindingsThe results of the interviews illustrate that a combination of formal and informal organizational policies and procedures, together with a “self‐imposed” glass ceiling hamper women in junior and middle management positions from advancing to senior managerial roles in this important segment of the Irish economy.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the limitations of this study relates to the sample. Further research expanding on this initial sample into other industry sectors is required.Originality/valueOne issue that emerged from the interviews is the concept of a “self‐imposed glass ceiling”, where individual female managers are actively weighing up the costs and the benefits of moving to the next level of management. Based on their analysis of this information they are individually deciding whether or not to engage in the activities, which will assist their carrier progression. The role of individual choice may assist us in explaining the low numbers of women at senior management level.

INTRODUCTIONThis paper examines the conflicting demands of work and family involved in the senior female international career move. In particular, the paper highlights both the covert and overt work-family conflict barriers faced by women in their progression to senior managerial positions, in an attempt to explain the relative scarcity of female international managers. The perspective explored is that of currently employed senior female managers in a wide range of organizations, who have made at least one international career move, that is, outside their country of origin. Previous studies have established that, throughout Europe, women's advance into senior domestic management positions has been very slow, despite the increasing change in the legislative framework, including the European Union's social protocol, to enforce issues related to equal opportunity such as equal pay and sex discrimination (Davidson and Cooper, 1993;Hammond and Holton, 1991). The number of female managers pursuing international management careers, however, remains considerably lower than for women in domestic management. Harris (1995) and Adler (1993) estimate that only 3% of expatriate managers are women. There is no profile of the ideal expatriate, but the majority of managers (approximately 97%) are male, which means that the research to date has typically focused on the male international career move.A review of the international human resource management literature indicates a lack of empirically based European studies. Davison and Punnett (1995) noted that gender and race have received relatively little attention in expatriate literature, despite the impact of these and other variablessuch as religion, and other distinguishing personal characteristics which frequently arise in expatriate decisions. Scase and Goffee (1990) observed that, despite our increasing knowledge of the problems and experiences which are directly related to gender and which affect women in management, many issues remain unexplored and, as yet, have not been the subject of detailed empirical research. As a result, much discussion relies on untested assumptions rather than on empirical research. A review of international The particular focus of this paper is on the work-family conflict experienced by senior female international managers within a European context. This research is particularly relevant as existing European studies have not specifically addressed issues pertaining to the senior female international manager. For the purpose of this study 50 senior female expatriate managers were interviewed, representing a wide diversity of industry and service sectors. The study establishes that work-family conflict still prevents many female managers from progressing to senior management. The results of the study show that the senior international career move has largely been developed along a linear male model of career progression, a development which, together with gender disparity both in organizations and family responsibilities, frequently prevents women...

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of women pursuing managerial careers. Previous studies have established that, throughout Europe, women's advancement to senior domestic management positions has been very slow, despite legislative changes, including the European Union's social protocol, to enforce issues related to equal opportunity such as equal pay and sex discrimination. The number of women managers pursuing international management careers, however, remains considerably lower than the number in domestic management. Previous research has established that only 3 percent of women are international managers. The data presented in this paper assert that female managers who are not part of an organisational support network experience even further career disadvantages. Based on an extensive empirical research study conducted with senior female international managers, the paper highlights the role which organisational networks have on the career development of female managers.

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